Career Coach: Who to Hire, Who to Fire

A career coach may be a good investment, but who to choose? Here's how to screen out the posers.

NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Career coaches, like personal trainers, tax-preparers and housekeepers, are one-time luxuries that have now found a place in many professionals' third-millennium support systems.

Every Olympic athlete knows that choosing the right coach can determine the difference between going for gold and going home empty-handed. Now, many professionals, including a respected surgeon writing in The New Yorker, feel the same.

Alas, finding a canny career coach is only slightly less daunting than winning the gold. Career coaching is a magnet for mediocrities; those who can't do, coach. The wrong coach can hurt, not help so caveat emptor

The following slide show will introduce the dramatis personae of career coaches. Understanding the player profiles -- and their individual pros and cons -- will allow you to better choose a coach that will award your career with a winning edge.

Make sure to see the last page for my five questions you must ask any potential coach.

Agree? Disagree? Please share your career coaching experiences in the comments section of this article.